


Silver Lining

by Mendelynn



Series: Kings of Albion [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Haldur is supposed to be king but presents as omega, Kidnapping, King - Freeform, M/M, Medieval, Original Character(s), Self-Doubt, Stockholm Syndrome, becoming king, i am just trying something, relationship with a criminal, this is my first a/b/o story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-10-10 19:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17432129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendelynn/pseuds/Mendelynn
Summary: Haldur's life as crown prince and future king of Albion had been planned out neatly but everything shatters in one night of blood and cramps when he presents as an omega. Valiant is just bored and takes the challenge to break into the castle at night. Things play themselves out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! :)
> 
> This is the first story I post here!!! I'm just messing around, I wanted to write a little A/B/O-Story and well... there it is.  
> English is not my mother tongue so if you find something that sound weird or out of place, please tell me.  
> Have fun! I hope you like it.

“Why can’t I go?”  
“Because it’s dangerous.”  
“I have been trained since I was eight! I am perfectly able to lead these men!”  
“I know that…”  
“So why can’t I go? This is an omega-thing again, isn’t it?”  
“Alden... this has nothing to do with you being an omega. I won’t let you go because you are my only child and I am not going to risk the fate of the kingdom over sending the prince on a stupid mission.”  
“Don’t call me Alden. My name is Haldur.” Haldur frowned. He knew, he couldn’t win the argument against his father but he was angry. The last time, he had been out with the knights was just before he presented. He had to acknowledge that they had nearly failed because of the starting cramps in his lower abdomen but that didn’t give his father the right to keep him locked up indoors. Of course, it must have been a great shock for his parents to see their only son present as an omega. No one had thought it possible. The royal family had had alpha sons in a straight line for five generations.  
One week after, the princess he was supposed to marry, got engaged with the Lord of Shappleton. Haldur had presented very late and, in the end, the princess’s parents had been waiting in vain. It had always been decided that his marriage would be a political one and Haldur had accepted that long ago but he hadn’t heard a word from his father since that day concerning this matter. Of course, he would end up being the queen, just a handsome smiley face to flatter the king and he hated that idea. All his life he had been trained to be crowned king one day and all of this shattered in a long, bloody night of horrible cramps. Haldur hated himself for being an omega. He knew how disappointed his parents were. For god’s sake, the whole kingdom was disappointed. There seemed to be no alpha out there who wanted to propose to his father and marrying a woman was out of the picture.  
So all he did was sit around waiting for something to happen. He still trained with the knights, even though it had cost him a great deal of persuasion. His father had appointed an omega teacher to tell him everything he needed to know about his second gender. But most of the time, he groomed in his room with way too much time to be peeved. Crossing his arms, he turned around and stomped out of the throne room.

-

Oldevin sighed watching his son storm off. Words couldn’t describe how much he loved him. Being an omega didn’t change that. He would still crown him king without hesitation, it just made everything so much more complicated. There were enough young, capable alphas eager to marry the prince but every single one of them withdrew when the king named his condition. No one wanted to be the supporting husband of an omega king. They wanted to be king themselves and who could blame them…  
One day after his son presented, he had appointed an omega teacher for Haldur and himself to support his son in the best way possible. But he had to realize that he didn’t understand most of what being an omega was about. His wife being a woman wasn’t much help either. It hurt Oldevin deeply to see his son struggle with his new identity but he couldn’t help him. He may have been the king but he had never felt so powerless in his life. All he could do was to wait for Haldur to settle in and hope for a miracle.

-

“You are cheating.”  
“I certainly did not.”  
“You’ve won fifteen rounds of poker. That’s impossible.”  
Loktur gave the man a winning smile and collected his price. “I am just a very lucky man.”  
“Hm…” The man looked him over. “In game, maybe. Not so much in love as I hear. How can someone like you not have at least one omega in their bed?”  
“I have not found one interesting enough yet, I guess…” Loktur shrugged and stood up. “Pleasure playing with you” He cramped the won money into his pocket and took the cards out of his sleeve as soon he had left. Of course, he had been cheating, his cards had been exceptionally bad. He heard someone call his name and turned around. His playing companion stood in the doorway. “You’re still the stinking little thief you used to be”, he cried.  
“I never claimed anything else.”  
“No matter, how nice you dress. You’re trying to copy the speak of nobles but you’re not one of them. You’re nothing.”  
“I am something. I am the best stinking, little thief, you will ever know.”  
“I don’t believe you.”  
Loktur sighed. He started to like this little game. “I do not have to prove myself to you. What do you think me not capable of?”  
“You can’t break into the castle and steel the ceremonial goblets.”  
“Just because no one has ever done does not mean I cannot do it.”  
“Oh… stop babbling and beat it!”  
Loktur turned around and walked away. Breaking into the castle… that sounded like fun. He had fallen into a routine, it was time to break it. Time for a little adventure.

-

“Thank you, Linden. You are probably the best friend, I will ever have.”  
“I am honoured to hear that, Sire. Is there anything else I can do?”  
Haldur threw a cherry into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Linden always knew how to cheer him up. He might have been his servant but they were close friends as well. So close that Haldur allowed him to stay with him during his first heat. He didn’t know how he would’ve survived the past weeks without Linden’s constant care.  
“No, I’ll be fine now. Thank you for listening.”  
“I am always here for you.”  
“I know. You deserve some time off. Go, see Fedora. Have a date night.”  
“That is very kind of you, Sire. I will be back in the morning.”  
“Don’t worry, if you’re not. I can get up by myself.”  
Linden smiled and his warm, sentimental eyes rested on Haldur for another moment. “Good night, sir.”  
“Good night, Linden.”  
Haldur turned around and stared into the darkness. If he was allowed to choose a mate, it would be someone like Linden. He was caring, thoughtful and always at his side when he needed him. Fedora was a lucky girl to have him, even though he was a beta. Most of the servants in the castle were betas, the knights were all alphas… Haldur was probably the only omega in the royal household. Tonight, he could feel the loneliness stronger than ever before and he felt his eyes getting wet. He could’ve needed Linden now, actually…  
A sound alerted him. Some kind of tapping in the hallway. The kind of tapping that wasn’t supposed to be heard in the hallway! His fighting senses awakened and he slipped out of his bed. Silent as a shadow, he made his way into the hall. A small light flickered from one of the rooms. He stepped in and found himself face to face with an intruder. Before he could even cry out in surprise, everything went black.

When Haldur woke, it was dark. His head hurt, the floor he lay upon was hard, the air was stuffy and smelled of wood. This was not his bed. Where was he? His hands tried to feel the space around him. A small, rectangular room, just about big enough to fit his body. A coffin?!? What had happened last night? Had he been kidnapped? His arms reached up, there was a lid, high enough for him to sit up. It was locked. He knocked against the wall. “Hello? Someone there! I demand you to let me out!” He continued to make noise, slamming his fists against the wood, but it was too strong to break. The lid wouldn’t open either. Next thing he tried, was throwing his body against the wall. Maybe, he could tip this thing over. No matter, how hard he tried, it didn’t help, so he went back to knocking and calling for help.  
Finally, when his voice was nearly giving up, he heard someone come into the room. “Hey!” he cried, as loud as he could. “I demand to be freed! Let me out!!!!” He didn’t think it would actually cause and reaction but the lid opened and he had to close his eyes because of the bright light.  
“That’s new,” a warm, melodious voice said, “Have you been screaming all day?”  
Haldur opened his eyes and looked at a handsome face framed with dark hair and brown eyes looked down on him. “What else was I supposed to do?” he asked with a hoarse voice. “Now, let me out!”  
“Wait, wait…” The man chuckled. “Who do you think you are to order me around?”  
Haldur stopped. Was it wise to reveal his identity? This man was obviously a criminal and he had no idea what this man would do to cover his tracks. On the other hand… a criminal was a subject of the king like everyone else. “I am Haldur, Prince of Albion and command you to let me go!” A surprised look flashed in the eyes of his kidnapper. Then, everything went black again.

The next time Haldur woke up, he lay on a sofa with lots of pillows around him, emitting a calming smell similar to freshly cut pine wood. It reminded him of the day he visited one of the wood farms as a child. It had always been one of his favourite trips with his father. He buried his nose in one of the pillows and inhaled the scent until he had to sneeze. Next to him was a table with tea and some sweets so he sat up and drank. His throat hurt.  
Looking around, he found himself on one side of a big room with expensive furniture that was decorated elaborately with great taste and an eye for details. His kidnapper was sat on the other side of the room on a desk and seemed to be working. In his back was a beautiful cabinet that was decorated with two silver goblets that looked strangely familiar. Haldur coughed slightly and the man looked up. “Oh, you are awake. I apologize for knocking you out again.”  
“Explain” Haldur could hardly speak now. “Who are you? Why am I here?”  
“Well, that was actually some silly joke. A man said I could not steal the ceremonial goblets from the castle. So I did. You saw me and I couldn’t leave a witness.”  
“You will let me go?”  
“No, I kidnapped the prince by accident. They will want my head for that. I am afraid you have to stay here for a while until I find a better solution.”  
“But I could just walk out of here…”  
“No, you cannot.” The man pointed at his throat. Haldur touched it and realized, that he was wearing a thin collar. “That is a hexed leash.” He raised his arm, so that Haldur could see the thin, black fabric around his wrist. “You can walk around freely. Within a range.”  
“Who are you?” Haldur asked again, his voice hardly audible now.  
“My name is Valiant. But most people know me as Loktur.”  
“Loktur?” Haldur had heard stories about a criminal called Loktur. Fear began to build up in his stomach.  
“Yes. Loktur, head of the biggest omega trade in the country.”  
“Will you…” Haldur’s voice was gone by now. He felt like falling unconscious all over again.  
“No, I am certainly not going to sell you. You are the future king, you are priceless.”  
“So, are you taking me?”  
“No.” Loktur shook his head, there was no evil in his eyes when he looked at Haldur, not even greed. Only earnestness. “You are my future king as well, I respect you too much for this. I am sorry for the box, I was unaware. Rest now, this must have been quite stressful.” Haldur fell back onto the sofa. He was tired, his throat and head hurt and he had no idea what was going on. Resting was probably his best option. Unconsciously, he made himself comfortable on the pillows so the calming smell of pine wood was all around him and closed his eyes. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Oldevin was out his mind. He didn’t care about the missing goblets. Someone had taken his son! No one had ever broken into the castle before, it was secured like no other building in the whole country. Still, someone managed to snatch his son away!

“What happened?”, he roared at the little beta in front of him.

“I don’t know, your Majesty, I am sorry. Haldur had told me to leave.”

“And you just did what he said?”

“Yes, Your Highness, he is my master.”

“I should have you executed! How could you leave him alone!”

“My king…” His wife’s small hand on his shoulder calmed him a bit. His instincts to protect his blood were going wild. “It’s not your fault, Linden. You can go now.” She gave the guards a sign to leave them alone. As soon as the doors were closed, she embraced the tall man. “I know, you are mad at whoever did this. But we need to calm down. That is our best chance of finding him.”

Oldevin felt himself melting in her arms. He was the one who was supposed to be strong, it must’ve been just as bad for her, Haldur was her son too. “I am so worried”, he confessed. “I tell everyone that he must have been kidnapped but we had an argument yesterday. What if he has run away and it is my fault?”

“Haldur is a thoughtful boy who knows his responsibilities better than you think. You raised him well and you had many arguments in the past. I don’t believe Haldur would ever do that.”

“My dear, little Alden” Oldevin loved the omega name. He had always liked it better than Haldur. “I will find him. We will find him.”

“That we will.” Queen Mabel kissed husband and he calmed down even further. His son would find a way to be alright, he was a fighter, just like his mother. He would be a great king one day. “Let’s send our best spies to find out what happened to him.”

“No” Oldevin found himself straightening up. “Let them look for the goblets. They will be easier to find and if we got a lead on them, we will know where to look for our son.”

 

-

 

When he woke up, Haldur found himself in another place, again. This time: a bedroom. With a slight feeling of disappointment, he noticed that the calming smell had gone almost completely. Next to his bed was a jug of water and some grapes. The man might have been a criminal but he did look out for him. Someone knocked. “Come in” His voice was still hoarse, but it was audible again. Said criminal stepped into the room.

“How are you?”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“You’re right. I am sorry. I was wondering whether you would like to dine with me. Though, I could understand if you do not.”

“No… I’m…” What was he supposed to do in here? Loktur didn’t seem as bad as the stories wanted him to be and this was a perfect opportunity to get more information. “I’m happy to come.”

“I am certainly glad to hear that. Take your time, I will wait for you. The dining room is on the other side of the hallway.  You cannot miss it.”

Haldur nodded and waited for the door to be closed. A hint of his new favourite smell lingered in the air. Looking inside the wardrobe, he found some clothes that fitted him, even though they were a bit too feminine for his taste. He had never worn omega clothes before. After combing his hair, he took a moment to stare at his reflexion. His face was too round and his eyes too small, their bright blue didn’t really match with his reddish brown hair, not what he would call handsome. He had never been very tall but his body was muscular from the years of sword fighting. The omega clothes clung to his outlines more than what he was used to which made him look plump and too broad for his size. Well, he didn’t want to dress up for his kidnapper, so he was fine with it. It was just this weird feeling of not knowing his body anymore that overcame him quite often. He wasn’t used to being an omega yet.

Loktur looked up, when he walked in. He smiled and Haldur wondered whether he was happy to see him or just amused about him looking so stupid. Never mind, it didn’t matter anyway. “You look better. How is your voice?”

“Still croaky, thanks a lot.”

“Well, that makes a good frog prince, doesn’t it?”

“Shut up” Haldur didn’t know if it was wise to be so rude to Loktur. After all, he was completely at his mercy. Loktur actually looked surprised but he didn’t seem angry.

“Pray, sit.” After a moment of hesitation, Haldur sat down next to him. Actually, he was very hungry. “Eat” He took a piece of pork and was annoyed by himself following these orders. “Do you like your room?”

“As if you’d care!”

“Actually, I do. You are the prince, after all.”

“Prince or not, I am an omega. You sell people like me for living, don’t you?” Haldur put his knife back. His appetite was gone. Loktur looked at him with a strangely saddened look.

“Yes, you are right. That is what I do, apparently…”

Haldur looked at him, confused because of his reaction. He wouldn’t have thought Loktur to be proud of it but… the criminal looked like he actually hated it. “I am your prisoner now?” he changed the topic.

“For the moment… unfortunately yes.”

“Well, I am sorry for you to be sorry. If you don’t like having me around, why don’t you just let me go home?”

“Do you really think, your father will let this go without chopping my head off? Sooner or later, he will find me and he will end me. I need to find something to hold against him, before I can let you go.”

“You want to blackmail the king? You are really the greatest scumbag I have ever had the misfortune to meet.” Haldur shook his head in disgust. As soon as he was king, he would end this man himself.

“Call me what you want. I like being alive. I am not giving that up for doing the right thing. I never have.”

“That’s probably the reason why you are where you are today.”

“Yes, it is also the reason why I am still alive. You might have been born in a palace. I was not.”

“Boohoo, I don’t care” Haldur snapped. This guy sickened him. He wasn’t too keen on going home but being a prisoner was worse.

“So it is right, what they say. Nobles are arrogant, ungrateful and rude.”

“You kidnapped me and hold me prisoner! What am I supposed to do? Be grateful and beg you to be your nice little omega to kiss and love?”

“Would you like that?” There it was, the look, Haldur had been dreading. He had gotten it recently from the knights ever since he presented. It was the natural attraction that an unmated virgin omega bore for alphas but it made him sick to the core to see how all of these chivalrous men turned into dick-driven animals around him. He stood up to leave but a dark-tanned hand stopped him. Loktur got up as well and came closer so that their chests nearly touched. Haldur wanted to get away. He wanted to turn around and walk out of the door but he couldn’t. It wasn’t Loktur’s hand that stopped him. It was the scent emitting from the tall, lean body. The scent of freshly cut pine wood. Haldur didn’t get furious from realising where this smell came from like he should have. All he could feel was his heartbeat speeding up and a warm, ticklish sensation in his stomach. He looked up, right into the dark eyes of this handsome man. “Would you like me to kiss you, love you, make you mine, hm?” His hand let go of his wrist and stroked his cheek instead. Haldur could feel something wet between his legs. That must have been the slick he talked about with his teacher. Loktur sniffed and grinned. “You like this idea? Oh, you are a bad boy, Prince Haldur…” He snickered and stepped away from him. Haldur came to his senses. His trousers were wet and his crotch felt uncomfortably tight. If it had been possible to die of embarrassment, he would’ve dropped dead right this instant.

Unfortunately, he was still alive and had to deal with the consequences. Loktur grinned horribly arrogant. “I thought, you were different. You omegas are all the same, aren’t you?” His little laugh made everything worse. Tears of embarrassment flooded Haldur’s eyes and he stormed off.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

What had just happened? Haldur had been having a very unpleasant conversation with that very unpleasant kidnapper of his and then… Loktur had been so close, something in his scent had Haldur drawn to him. It must have been the musk. He was an unmated virgin who’d just finished his heat. No wonder, he felt attracted to every alpha around him. Still, he hated his condition even more for it. Omegas were completely helpless in a situation like this. He wasn’t able to get away; he wasn’t even able to move. If Loktur hadn’t stopped it, they would’ve probably ended up kissing. Or even worse! This man had taken him from his home, locked in a box and put a magical collar on him! Why wasn’t he able to fight back? He was a trained fighter, he could’ve beaten this man! But he didn’t even try. He didn’t want to, at least in that moment.

Haldur hated himself. He buried his head underneath his pillow and huddled up under his duvet. Careful not to be heard, he cried bitter tears of shame.

 

-

 

Valiant sat down and stared angrily at the food that had been prepared and not eaten. This was probably the worst outcome of this situation. He didn’t want to embarrass the prince, it just happened. It might have been the rude, demanding way of talking he found enjoyable at first that made him show his alpha features. It might have been the complete lack of respect. No omega had ever spoken to him like that, looking at him as equal. They were all scared and cried a lot, well, who could blame them. But not this one. He had made a hell of a noise in his box, until Valiant was forced to let him out. Never had he seen such fighting spirit in an omega. Valiant wanted to know more about this boy and he wanted to be nice but the prince was disrespectful. And being disrespected by an omega was hard to take for his alpha ego. In that moment, he had just wanted this boy to look at him with these big blue eyes like all the other omegas did when he came close. But he wouldn’t have thought to be so disappointed when he actually did. He had brought the boy into a situation where he didn’t know what to do with all his hormones anymore. Valiant had to admit, even though he had done that to many omegas, not one of them had actually slicked. The scent of it was still lingering in the air, sweet and heavy, it was hard to keep his head clear.

He didn’t only break the omega’s fighting spirit, he embarrassed him so deeply that the boy would probably never be able look at him in the eye again. His disappointment had been too much to handle and he had reacted in a way that made him want to punch himself. He had laughed about it. How do you deepen someone’s embarrassment most effectively? You laugh at them! This was the first interesting omega he had ever met and he had ruined it right from the start. Well done, Valiant!

 

-

 

Oldevin couldn’t sleep. His head continued to imagine all the gruesome scenarios his son could be in as soon as he closed his eyes. Where could he be? Was he still in town? Had someone taken him for his own entertainment? Was he being sold? Did someone beat him to death in a dark corner? He didn’t know and not knowing slowly drove him crazy. He was a king who had more than the rescue of the prince on his plate, even though it had top priority. But there was more to be done, he was responsible for so many people, he needed to keep his head clear and his mind healthy. Sleep would be a good start.

He felt the arms of his wife pulling him towards her. “Stop thinking about it”, she murmured sleepy, “You won’t bring him back like that.”

“I know… but I can’t. No matter, how hard I try.”

“Then stop thinking at all.” He felt familiarly warm lips on his and surrendered.

 

-

 

Haldur didn’t leave his bed. He ate the grapes and drank the water but unless he had to, he wouldn’t come out of his room. His blankets and pillows had formed some sort of nest. His teacher had told him about this urge but he would’ve never thought he would be one to actually do it. But there he was, crouching in his nest-like bed, waiting for life to be over.

Later, when he had lost his sense of time completely, someone knocked. “Stay out!” he cried. To his surprise, the door stayed closed.

“I am sorry about yesterday evening and I would like to talk about it.”

“Didn’t you humiliate me enough already? Go away!”

“Please believe me, I didn’t want to humiliate you. Let me explain.” Haldur didn’t answer, he just buried himself deeper into his blankets. After a moment, the door opened slowly and Loktur came in. He seemed startled by the looks of the nest and Haldur’s face flushed red with embarrassment again. “Oh my… Are you alright?”

“Does this look alright to you? I…” Haldur was so ashamed, he couldn’t even speak about it.

“I did not want to humiliate you, I mean it. There is just something about you that…”

“Oh, so it’s my fault now.” Haldur buried his face in a pillow “It’s all my fault, always, stupid, weak omega…” He hated the fact that he felt himself reacting to Loktur’s scent. “Of course, it’s not your fault. You are Loktur, you probably had more omegas that I can even imagine.”

“I am not Loktur.”

“Huh?”

“I am not Loktur. That is just a name, I use on the streets. My real name is Valiant.”

“Valiant…” For some strange reason, Haldur liked the sound of that. Valiant…

“And it is my fault. I should not have forced you to have dinner with me. Damn my curiosity! Pardon my language.”

“Curiosity?” Haldur sat up to look at the man who suddenly looked much more like a Valiant than a criminal called Loktur.

“Yes” Valiant sat down on his bedside. Haldur felt drawn to his scent again but he resisted the urge. “It could not have been easy growing up with all these expectations. Especially, after presenting as an omega. Who would have thought of that?”

“It has been tough… Nothing I couldn’t handle…”

“Of course…” Valiant’s comment sounded just a bit ironic.

“I had a very good friend to help me with it. My manservant, they’ve probably cut off his head by now. I had given him the evening off.”

“I am sorry…”

“Oh shut it! I am sick of hearing you apologize over and over again. I am still your prisoner, nothing has changed.”

“Well, you can go back in the box and I can sell you under a false identity, if you like.” Valiant seemed to be getting angry. “This is exactly the reason why yesterday evening happened. I am doing my best to keep you comfortable, under all circumstances, and you are… disrespectful.”

“Do you blame me? You took me from my home, locked me in a box, put a magical collar or something on me and I am supposed to be nice to you? What do you expect? That I bow down, just because you are an alpha? You are nothing but a lowly thief and I am a fucking prince, so you should be kneeling before me!” He didn’t excuse his bad language. Valiant should know that he was serious. And peeved. The alpha growled and Haldur regretted what he had said but, to his surprise, Valiant kept it together.

“No, I get how you feel about me. But I want you to understand the circumstances and accept that I am trying to help you out of this messed up situation! We are on the same side! I just want you to not make this more complicated than it already is.”

There it was against, the deep earnestness in these brown eyes. Haldur found himself admitting that this sounded very sensible, so he calmed down a bit. “I don’t know, if I can trust you to tell the truth. You are a criminal after all.”

“That I am. And I have always been. There are a lot of reasons why I should lie to you about my intentions but I will not. Do you think, I chose the human trade life?”

“Why else would you be in this situation? You are free to choose where you want to go and what you want to do with your life. It’s not like you are the future king who has his whole life planned out.”

“I am much less free than you think. We all are. A lot of people dream about being noble as being able to do what you want and be free, just like your dream of the easy life of a commoner.”

“Hm…” Haldur had to admit that he didn’t know much about the life of his lesser subjects. “So how did you become head of the omega trade if you don’t like it?”

“A series of unfortunate events, if you want to call it that. I was born on the streets, made my living by stealing what I needed. When I was nine, I ended up working for several different criminal circles. They fought against each other, we were the ammunition. One day, I said to someone that they would be much more successful, if they worked together. So, in the end, two organisations found that they hated each other less than the others and formed an alliance that took over the underground of the city. I helped them because they paid me well and when they had been victorious they wanted to thank me. ’That kid is clever’, they said, ’He’ll be in charge of the omega trade.’”

Haldur came closer. “And you accepted?!?”, he asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I did. I might have been a thief, but I have never been cruel. The idea of selling human beings for money sounded wrong and I had seen the places where these auctions were held. It was disgusting. But I had to see the consequences my actions would have. If I had not accepted the offer, Strak would have and he is a monster… So I said yes. For the sake of every  captured omegas.”

Haldur’s mouth opened in surprise. He had learnt much about the complexity of politics and society but he would have never thought… “So this is why you sell omegas.”

“Because if I don’t someone else will. I did my best to make it better for them. Their living areas are clean, they have beds and lavatories. They get enough food and drink, so they will be in perfect shape to be sold. I made quite a lot of rules for the guards to ensure ’maximum quality products’. They are not allowed to beat them or be mean, let alone touch inappropriately. If I get note of such actions they will be removed. I am rather powerless when they are sold but the potential buyers I know to be very cruel are not allowed to buy at my marketplaces. My omegas are quite expensive but they are beautiful and their mind is not broken. It is quite possible that they live happy lives afterwards. Some may even have it better being sold in my markets than out there on the streets.”

“For someone who hates his job, you take a lot of pride in it.” Haldur smiled, seeing the confused look on Valiant’s face. He had misjudged this man completely and he was happy about it. His kidnapper gave him a long stare, probably to judge his reaction.

“Are we good now?”

“Yes… yes, I think, we are.” Haldur smiled and Valiant seemed relieved.

“Am I allowed to make another effort to invite you to dinner?”

“My stomach says yes.” Haldur finally got up and followed the alpha into the dining room. He was insanely happy to have been wrong about this man and even though he didn’t quite understand, he embraced the feeling as long as it lasted.

 

-

 

Three of Oldevin’s best informants didn’t return. A fourth one made it into the castle heavily wounded. As soon as the physician had done everything he could, the king rushed to the patient’s bed. “Have you found the goblets?” he asked, trying to calm himself.

“Not exactly…” Disappointment rushed over him like a wave of ice cold water. “But someone told me, they heard someone talk about seeing them in Loktur’s living room. They found us out before we could get to someone who knows this man.

Oldevin tried to smile and took the hand of the wounded in his. “Thank you. You have been most helpful. Now get some rest.” On his way back into the throne room, he called for Filas.

 

-

 

Haldur lay on his back and smiled towards the ceiling. It should not have been possible for him to be so happy. He was held prisoner and didn’t knew where he was but still… it had been a long time, since he had been in such a good mood. Actually, that might have been the first time since he presented that he smiled from real happiness. He welcomed the feeling and he certainly didn’t want to think about where it came from. It might have just been the happiness from having his stomach filled with delicious dishes. Now, he just wanted to sleep but he couldn’t. He had gotten so used to Valiant’s calming scent around him that he missed it. Quietly, without much thinking, he stood up and left the room. The flickering of many candles came from the room he was first held in. It seemed like Valiant was still working. Haldur followed his nose to a room only two doors from his. Silently, he opened the door and was greeted by pine wood scent. It was all over the place. Haldur couldn’t see much because it was already dark outside but he did find the bed. Instinctively, he buried his nose in one of the pillows.

The only other time he had sensed Valiant’s scent that strong was during their falling out yesterday evening. This smell made him feel calm and at home and he didn’t want to leave but he knew he had to. How would he explain himself to Valiant, if he couldn’t even explain it to himself? So he left the bed but grabbed a few pieces of clothing that he found lying in one corner. He placed them in his nest and finally went to sleep.

 

-

 

“Loktur is what?” Oldevin boomed.

“He’s the head of the omega trade circle, Your Majesty.” Filas, his most faithful first minister, bowed his head and waited for his king to calm down. Oldevin took a few deep breaths but it didn’t help much. The more he found out, the farther his son slipped away from him. Or so it seemed. He felt desperation rising up in him and sat back.

“So he’s going to be sold…,” he said weakly.

“We don’t know that for sure, Your Majesty.”

“What other option is there?  And why am I hearing about this man for the first time today? From what you’ve told me, he’s got auctioning places all over the country.  Why has it never been brought up in council meetings? Omega trade has been banned for nearly a hundred years now!”

“Well, there always seemed to be more pressing matters, I suppose. He doesn’t bother the kingdom very much, his auction places are clean and the omegas well looked after. It may even look as if it was a legal business.”

“It is not and it undermines my authority to have something like that going on right under my nose! You said, there was one auction place within this city! Someone must have heard about it!”

“Well…” Filas shifted his stand uncomfortably. “Some of your court members might be customers of his…”

“Oh…” Oldevin nodded. That explained everything. “Well, we don’t have any time to lose. My son has been captured by this man and we need to act fast and quiet.”

“Sir, we don’t know for sure that Loktur took him. He might have bought the goblets from someone. And we can’t be sure that this information is correct.”

“No, it all makes sense. No one would sell possessions of the king openly and no one would put them on display if not to brag. If anyone had a reason to kidnap the prince, it would be him. I don’t know which grudge he holds against me but I will certainly give him a reason to hate me now.”

“Maybe it might not be wise to act too quickly. Maybe we should…”

“I appreciate your concern, Filas, but it’s decided. I don’t want the people to know. Find me someone clever enough to find my son in a group of omegas like this, who works fast, quietly and is skilled enough to take an underground market place on his own. Someone professional.”

“There might not be many who can accomplish such a thing, Mylord, and they know the worth of their work.”

“I don’t care about money, Filas! My only concern is the wellbeing of my heir!”

“Of course, your Majesty. I have heard stories of a man the call ’The shadow’. No one has actually ever seen him on a mission but he completes each one perfectly. They say, he is exceptionally ruthless and takes any job.”

“If he is real, he is the right man for me. See,if your informants can find and contact him. Bring him to me, I want to speak with him myself. I can’t just have any alpha lay hands on my son. I need to see if he can be trusted. ”

“I will see to it right away, Sir.”

“Thank you Filas, you may go.” As soon as his right hand man had left the room, Oldivan lost his royal pose and sank back into the chair. He was hiring a mercenary who’d go after a criminal ring leader… he might have been disgusted with himself in any other situation but this was for his son. There couldn’t be any thought about honour, if his son’s life was in danger.

 

-

 

Haldur had slept well and felt happy, when he woke up. Valiant’s smell had become familiar already and made him feel comfortable but his empty stomach caused him to leave the bed. He dressed and made his way down to look for Valiant when he heard voices from what seems to be the room Valiant worked in. “So you did steal the goblet’s, you false rat.”

Haldur stopped, listening. “I did. I told you, I did not have to prove myself to you. It was just a little adventure. Playing cards with you was quite boring.”

Without much thinking, he opened the door. “I was getting hungry, do you have…” Valiant rose abrupt, dashed to him and shoved them both out if the room closing the door behind him. “You can’t just walk in when I’m in a meeting. What did you think?” he hissed angrily.

“I am hungry. Why am I not allowed…”

“No one is supposed to know about you. Even if they do not know who you are, there will be rumours. I cannot afford rumours at the moment.” He sighed and let go of Haldur’s arm. “We will talk later. There is breakfast in the kitchen.”

He returned into the room and Haldur was left outside. Rubbing his hurting arm, he left for the kitchen, his good mood was gone.

 

-

 

“Oh… I see what’s going on…” Luckrior grinned. “You’ve been lucky after all?”

“Come again?” Valiant needed a moment to calm down again. Haldur’s sudden appearance had shocked him more than he would have thought.

“So you do have a little loverboy. I already started to think, you were into ladies because you never took one of your many omegas home. He seems like a demanding little brat. Are you into that?”

What was he supposed to say? “My private life is none of your concern. We are here to do business.”

“It’s a shame that you sent him away. He could’ve served us some cookies and I could’ve gotten a better look at his sweet arse. These goblets are nice but a little hustling omega would be a real crown for your interior design.”

Valiant groaned internally. If this man hadn’t been one of his most important financiers, he would’ve sent him away right this instant. “Please, leave him out of this. You were saying, you wanted to take over the northern market. Well, I wanted to suggest…”

“At least, tell me his name. I smelled you haven’t marked him yet, so you’re courting him? Who is this special omega that has won your heart?”

“He’s called… Alden.” Valiant had to think of something. Luckrior was getting very annoying.  He knew, they wouldn’t get back to their negotiation, so he just sent the man away and went to look for Haldur.

The omega was sitting in the kitchen, stuffing his pouty face with scrambled eggs. He sat down beside him. “I am sorry for being so rude earlier. I did not expect you to walk into my negotiation.”

“It didn’t sound like a negotiation. You were talking about goblets and card games.” Haldur swallowed the rest of his egg. “So I am not allowed to walk around freely now? That collar isn’t enough for you?”

“I have never had an omega at my house for any reason, so they will be interested if one suddenly walks around like he owns the place.”

“You’ve never had an omega?” Haldur seemed to be surprised. “You’re the boss of omega trade and you never took one home with you for… you know…” He made an unmistakable gesture.

“No, I have not. I was not interested. If you have to work with omegas as numbers on paper every day, I guess they become less fascinating.”

“Who would’ve thought…” There was a dirty smile on Haldur’s face. “You’re a virgin as well!”

“I am not a virgin. I did have a few women.” Valiant sighed. “So, I thought it might be a good idea if you started acting like you were my omega.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

Valiant was genuinely surprised. “You are alright with that?”

“Yes. I understand. What shall I do?”

“Well, you cannot act like a noble, obviously. You would need to serve tea for my business partners, maybe bake some biscuits…”

“Never! This is not going to happen! I’m not a maid.”

“I am sorry. I suppose you do not want to stay in your room making no noise and pretend you don’t exist. That would be the alternative.”

“Alright.” He sighed. “But you will get me proper clothes. This stuff itches all over! And I’m allowed to go with you when you leave the house.”

“I will get you better clothes but I cannot have you leave the house. Someone might recognize you. And it will affect my business if I take my omega with me. I have an image to keep, one of a traditional alpha, even though I am not. If you are ’my omega’, you are supposed to stay at home and look after the place.”

“Okay, fine.” Haldur sighed.

“By the way, we ca not use your real name. I told Luckrior, you were called Alden.”

He didn’t understand why this left Haldur rolling his eyes.

 

-

 

“Your Majesty?”

“What’s the matter, Filas?”

“I managed to contact the man we were talking about. You told me to send him to you right away?”

Oldevin nodded in relief. Filas was the best right hand man he could’ve hoped for. Maybe he would find a way to thank him as soon as his son was found. “Well done. Bring him here.”

A tall, dark haired man entered the room. He was a lean figure, dressed in dark clothes that were more functional than formal. His intense blue eyes fixed on the king and he gave a short nod of respect. “What do you want me to do?”

The king knew that this man was a criminal who murdered for money but he couldn’t help but like his direct way of approaching the topic. “What do I call you?”

“Jackson”

“Well Jackson. I sent for the best man in your profession to handle a dangerous and very delicate matter. Are you this man?”

“I am.”

“If anything about this goes public, I will have your head on a stake.”

“I never fail.”

Oldivan was impressed with this man’s confidence. Filas has told him the stories. If even half of it was true, the mercenary had every right to be that confident. “My son has been taken. We suspect Loktur behind this. Have you heard of him?”

“He is the head of the omega trade circle.”

“Well, my son has presented as an omega. Loktur will probably try to sell him. I want you to find all his secret trading places. Destroy them, free the omegas and as soon as you find my son, you will bring him back to me.”

“What does your son look like?”

Oldevin pointed at a painting to his right. Haldur was in it, twelve years old, in traditional alpha clothing. “Haldur is eighteen now. Brown hair, blue eyes, quite muscular for an omega.”

The mercenary went across the room and studied the picture. Oldevin cringed at the thought that he let a criminal study his favourite painting of his only child. “I will find him.”

“Make sure that he is well, give him everything he demands. If you lay hands on him, I will find a very painful way to kill you.”

“You cannot kill me.” The stark, blue eyes moved from the painting back to the king. “I won’t harm your son in any way, let alone harass him.”

The cold look made Oldevin shiver. How many people had this man killed to become so emotionless?  “Let us talk about compensation.”

“Give me some pocket money. We will talk about the prize when you have your son back.”

Oldevin raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had never heard of a mercenary who wasn’t after the money but this one just seemed to be eager to do the job.

“We have a deal, then?”

“Yes.”

Oledvin gave Filas a sign to take care of the mercenary and sighed. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. Only a few moments after the creepy mercenary and his right hand man had left, he could hear his wife coming into the throne room.

“How are you?” she asked quietly.

“I am worried, mostly, and desperate. Every time I close my eyes, I start to imagine what could be happening to Haldur right now.”

The Queen came around the throne and took the hands of her husband into hers. “I am as worried as you but I have faith in my son. He is strong, he will be fine. You will find a way to save him.”

“I may have already found a solution.”

“See? I know you.” She gave him a little smile. “I hope it is nothing stupidly desperate?”

“I am not sure.” He didn’t want to tell her about the mercenary. Not yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Haldur settled into his new role quite easily. Of course, it was a big blow to his pride to do the tasks of a servant but secretly he found himself enjoying it. Valiant had a maid come in from time to time to clean and she showed him the basics of cooking and baking which he got very quickly. He discovered that he was quite good at it. Of course, there were other things he was good at, like sword fighting and winning arguments, but that was mostly lifelong training. Baking seemed to be more of a talent that he got right away, so he found himself more regularly dressed in an apron working around the kitchen or serving tea and biscuits to Valiant’s many business partners. Sometimes, he made himself look busy in the living room or sat down with the group pretending to not understand any of their “alpha-talk”. From that, he got a good insight in Valiant’s doing and his clever negotiation strategies. For this opportzunity, he even allowed the men to stare at him inappropriately. It was worth it and somehow he enjoyed the hints of jealousy he sometimes discovered. He had never thought of himself as desirable but he seemed to be in the eyes of these men and so he slowly started to feel more confident and comfortable in his new identity as an omega.

 

-

 

Valiant couldn’t believe it. Every time he looked at Haldur, the omega left him speechless. The young man had settled into his new role without hesitation. Kitchen became the place, he was mostly found in and he heard him humming in there sometimes, as if he was quietly enjoying himself. In not even a week, he had mastered the basics of cooking and baking and Valiant was surprised with his works quite often. A few words of appreciation were enough to bring a bright smile to the omega’s face and Valiant loved to see him smile. His face was so beautiful when he was happy, he really seemed to blossom in his identity as Alden. Looking at his business partners, he often noticed a hints of jealousy in their eyes and it made him proud for some reason, even though Haldur wasn’t his mate.

“What I don’t understand…” Valiant was ripped from his thoughts as he heard the voice of one of the negotiators Kalton had send. Didn’t they just settle the matters? “This little omega of yours, he really is a fine brood. But I can’t see you marked him. He’s got that nice collar but that’s not the same thing. You’re not bonded?”

“Yeah”, the other one agreed, “And I can’t smell any o’ your scent on that dolly. What d’you ‘ave’im for?”

“Well…” Valiant’s mind raced, he hadn’t thought that anyone would notice. “I might sell him when I grow bored of him… a bite mark would only lessen the price. And he is not a sex toy, he is more of a… well… call him a decoration. For that, I want to keep him as pure as possible.”

“Something’s very wrong with ya”, the second one shook his head. “Your dick fallen off? If ya wanted to sell him, I’d have him and fill’im right up to the brim first with ma dick then with some nice li’l pups.” His dirty grin produced a sick feeling in Valiant’s stomach but he kept calm and smiled.

“I can imagine. But as I said: He looks nice on me, I am going to keep him for a little while longer.”

“He’d look much better on you with a big, round belly, believe me.”, the first one said. “But that’s your business, we are finished here.” He nodded and they left. Valiant’s head had filled with new worries.

 

-

 

Dark shadows framed Oldevin’s eyes. He hadn’t slept well since his son disappeared. The mercenary had sent a message that he hadn’t found any trace of Loktur yet. All of the market places in the outskirts of the country had been destroyed, countless omegas had been freed but Haldur was nowhere to be found. The mercenary had looked through every sale’s book he could find, he had asked every omega. No one had seen someone looking like Haldur. Oldevin doubted that Loktur would’ve sold his son close to the city but it was his only chance to find his son.

 

-

 

“You look worried”, Haldur had tried a new recipe and found, he had done quite well but Valiant didn’t seem to notice. “Is something wrong?”

The alpha turned his gaze from the food to Haldur and sighed. “Half of my market places have been destroyed.”

“I know. You looked quite happy about it. You said that might be a way to start anew.”

“Yes, it might. But my partners come in here more often to discuss what needs to be done because it is the safest place right now and it is only a matter of time until they find out that you are not my mate. They have already grown suspicious.”

“What have you told them?”

“I told them that I like you better as a decoration for my house.”

“Charming. Did they believe you?”

“They believe, something is very wrong with my dick.”

Haldur burst out with laughter. “Well, that lie won’t hold. You could have any beautiful omega in your house to decorate it but instead you have me. They must grow suspicious.”

Valiant seemed to be confused. “No, that is not the point. They all believe that part. You are very beautiful, you know?”

“Beautiful?” Haldur couldn’t believe his ears. “I’m not beautiful. I am too short, my shoulders are too broad, my face is unproportioned…”

Valiant’s looks grew softer as he looked at Haldur. “It is a shame that you see yourself in this way.” His hand moved across the table to find Haldur’s and started to stroke it. “You might not be tall and lean like the omegas that you would consider beautiful but… Your whole face lights up when you smile, that is more beautiful than any physical feature could ever be. And you have this air around you… Every single one of my visitors gets it. You move with pride that is very unusual for an omega. The way you look at an alpha on an equal footing challenges them. Their instincts tell them to subjugate you. To make you look at them with your big blue eyes like they were the only thing in your world. It makes you irresistible.”

Haldur felt his heart speeding up a bit. Did he flush? His cheeks felt warm. This description of him was so different from what he saw in the mirror every day and he couldn’t really believe it. And another thing was nagging him. The look on Valiant’s face, his choice of words… it might have sounded like a lover’s speech to someone else.

“So, how do you resist me?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“I barely do. You remember the first dinner we had together? This was exactly what happened.”

Haldur had to swallow hard. Some area of his brain which he had no control over started to spin fantasies of Valiant being in love with him but his conscious mind knew, this was impossible. “So how are you going to convince your visitors?”

Valiant sighed. “Well, I was lucky today. But not everyone will believe me when I present you as a piece of decoration. They will grow suspicious. The easiest way to convince them would be my scent on you…”

In a weird way, Haldur felt disappointed. Did he actually consider Valiant to suggest having sex with him? Not that he would be fond of that… “Maybe I can keep my clothes with yours?” Once again, the alpha seemed confused.

“You have no objections?”

“No, no, I do understand your reasons. I don’t want them to grow suspicious either. They are criminals after all, who knows what they can do… and sooner or later it will leak out that the prince is missing. They only will only have to put two and two together…”

Valiant smiled in relief. “You really do have a practical mind.”

“That’s what a future king should have.”

“But I am afraid, just keeping your clothes with mine will not be enough. You probably have to have it on your body more than on your clothes.”

“I could sleep in your bed.” Was that too fast? Haldur didn’t actually want to say that, it just blurted out of one unexplained region of his brain. His agitation turning into embarrassment, as he anxiously waited for Valiant’s reaction.

“This…” He inhaled sharply. “This is probably a good idea. If you’re up to that…”

“Well…” Haldur tried to stay cool, “I don’t have to sleep with you, just next to you. That shouldn’t be too much trouble. Unless you snore very loudly.”

“I am not aware that I snore.”

“No one ever is until there’s someone next to them.”

“But we will try?”

“We will try.”

Haldur finished his dinner and felt unusually excited while getting ready for bed. He piled his pillows and duvet on top of himself and moved into Valiant’s room. As soon as he opened the door, he heard a startled exhale. “Sorry, I couldn’t knock”, he apologize, “Don’t worry, I’m completely blind…”

“No, it’s not that… well, that as well…” Haldur waited until it sounded like Valiant was dressed. As soon as he felt sure, he threw his pile onto the bed. “I did not expect you to come over tonight.”

“Tomorrow I might have felt different about it.” Haldur straightened out his duvet and crawled under it. “The sooner, the better.”

“You are right. Probably.” Valiant lay down next to him and blew out the candles. “Good night, Haldur.”

“Good night, Valiant.” He inhaled the calming scent of pine wood deeply and fell asleep faster than he ever had before.


	5. Chapter 5

Haldur woke to the smell of pine wood mixed with arousal. A quick look to the other side of the bed identified the source. Valiant had woken up as well and looked at him seemingly embarrassed. “I am so sorry. I am not used to having an omega sleeping next to me… I better go and get rid of that. “

“You better do.” Haldur grinned, when Valiant stalked out of the room, then he left the bed as well, before his own scent of arousal could stick. Of course, this had nothing to do with his person; only with his second gender. But he still liked the idea of Valiant showing this sort of reaction because of him just being there. As the bathroom was occupied at the moment, he made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. He didn’t even think about it anymore, he liked doing it even though he was a prince.

Valiant walked in and sniffed. “Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious,” he said and sat. “But you still smell like you.” Haldur nodded. He had noticed as well. “I feel bad for suggesting it but maybe you should sleep closer to me. Under my duvet.”

Haldur swallowed hard. He hated himself for liking the idea so much. “Hm… we can try. I just… no, don’t bother.”

“I am sorry. Please understand. I am trying my best to find a way out of this situation so that you can go home but I have not succeeded yet.” The unexplained region of Haldur’s brain sent disappointment into his heart. Valiant wanted to have him gone as soon as possible and, well, he couldn’t blame him. Having the crown prince stay in your crime shack was probably very stressful. Still, it hurt to realize what he should’ve known: he was merely an inconvenience in Valiant’s life. The alpha might have said all these nice things yesterday but that didn’t have to mean anything. It was probably just what he thought his visitors could see.

The day passed very slowly. After breakfast, Haldur didn’t see much of Valiant because the alpha left the house and, as he always did, left the bracelet that seemed to be connected to the collar around his neck tied to a nail on the ceiling, too high for Haldur to reach. Once, he had tried to leave but he hadn’t gotten much further than out of the flat and down a flight of stairs before he could feel the leash holding him back. Even if he got out… he wasn’t exactly sure where he was, the view from the window showed some sort of market place in the lower town which he was unfamiliar with. How far could he go until someone recognized him? It was safer to stay with Valiant for the moment, even though he felt himself grow restless. He missed the sunlight and fresh air, riding horses, the exercise in training… actually, he could watch his muscles shrink and turn into a thin, soft layer of fat. But he wasn’t sure whether he hated his transformation because now he started to look more like the omegas he was used to. His shoulders didn’t seem too broad anymore, his round face fitted in better with the rest of his body. Haldur spent quite some time in the bathroom in front of a mirror trying to get familiar with his changed body.

As he was bored anyway, he went through the wardrobe of what had become his room to look for omega clothes. There were quite a few things that he would’ve never considered a few weeks back but now he tried them on. He was surprised how different his body looked, much softer and… it might have been the first time he liked looking at himself since he had presented. When would Valiant come back? He wanted the alpha to see him like that. After combing his neck long hair that he usually wore in a ponytail, he went into the kitchen to prepare Valiant’s favourite for dinner.

When he finally heard the door, his heart started pounding in his chest. He had done his best, the table was laid and the smell of roast filled the air. “Hm…”, he heard Valiant smile, “Is that what I think it is?”

“It might” Haldur couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He opened the door to let the alpha in.

“You have gotten quite domestic”, he grinned when he came in.

“Don’t think anything of it, I was just bored.” Haldur tried to sound as calm and unagitated as possible.

“Now look at you” Valiant’s eyes had caught sight of Haldur. A broad smile emerged on his face. “You have had a look into your wardrobe and found the nice stuff.”

“I’m just trying something different. “ Hopefully, the light was dim enough that Valiant couldn’t see him blush.

“Well, you should try it more often. It really suits you.”

They sat down to eat. Valiant praised his cooking skills again and Haldur thought that the brown eyes might have rested on him more often than usual. He didn’t know what to think of it but it made him happy and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. An hour later, they were full and happy. Valiant yawned. “I am tired. It was a nerve wrecking day… I think, I will go to bad…”

“And leave me to clean up? I told you before: I do the cooking because I like it. I am not your maid.”

To his surprise, Valiant nodded weakly. “You are right. We will do it together.” So they did. It was a calm, silent act. Haldur didn’t know what to say and Valiant seemed too tired to talk. It was a comfortable silence and Haldur felt drawn to Valiant once more. But he kept himself together and acted like it was nothing. Only when he was about to get into the bed, he hesitated.

Valiant looked at him. “You don’t have to. We can think of something else.”

“No. I’m fine. Sorry.” He lay down, next to Valiant and the moment he crawled under the duvet, he was completely wrapped in wonderful pine wood scent. A small moan escaped his lips before he could stop it, he held his breath and hoped Valiant didn’t hear it. Unfortunately, he did.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes… I think.” Valiant turned around to look him in the eye. Haldur decided to come clean. “I just really like your scent. You smell like freshly cut pine wood.”

“Really?” The alpha seemed surprised. “I have never thought about it… Maybe it relieves you to know that I feel drawn to your scent as well. It is like warm milk with honey and a pinch of cinnamon.”

Haldur was surprised. He couldn’t smell himself, not like that. He knew that it was too sweet to be an alpha’s scent but that was all. The brown eyes still rested on his face, Valiant had a sleepy, dreamy smile of his face and Haldur didn’t even know if the alpha was aware of it but it had an irresistible effect on him. He moved closer, his eyes caught Valiant’s and he didn’t know who had started it but they ended up kissing. A warm dash of happiness rushed through Haldur. His heart had been beating nervously since he’d gotten into bed but now it picked up speed. His breathing deepened and when he felt Valiant’s tongue on his lips, he let it in without hesitation. The tips of their tongues met when Valiant started to explore the unknown territory and Haldur just went along with it. The scent, the kiss, the feelings rushing through him… he had never experienced such a bliss and he felt a soft moan escape him again. Valiant ended their kiss and distanced himself a bit. “It’s late”, he mumbled, “I should sleep.” Haldur was a bit disappointed but he could see that the alpha was halfway gone already. “You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever met, you know?” he heard the alpha mumbling and he wasn’t sure whether this was sleep talk or not. “I think I love you…” Valiant would probably not remember saying it in the morning but it left Haldur beaming with happiness. He wasn’t sure whether he could sleep at all tonight.

 

-

 

“It has been over a month now…” Oldevin leaned against his Queen. “How are the chances of finding him?”

“They get better with every market place destroyed. He must be somewhere.”

“Loktur will know our plan by now and if he still has him, he will have him transferred somewhere we will never find him.” The closer, they got to the city, the more difficult it became to find the locations of omega auctions.

“Don’t be so pessimistic. Have a little faith in our son. He is very capable of freeing himself.”

“I know. I wouldn’t worry if he was an alpha. Omegas are helpless sometimes. Imagine what would happen if he went into heat.”

“He has another two months until that happens.”

“Stress can trigger heats as well…”

“Oldevin…” Marbel cupped her husband’s face in her hands. “He will be fine. I can feel it. I don’t know, if it will be any comfort to you but… I am pregnant.”

“You are?” He sat up, excited but worried. “Are you sure, you can make it?”

“It’s not like I could stop the little one from growing.” She smiled to cheer him up. “I know, I’m not as young as when I had Haldur but maybe this time it will be easier. They always say, the first child is the hardest.”

“This baby won’t be a replacement for Haldur.”

“Of course not. By the time, the little one comes along, Haldur will be back with us, safe and sound.”

Oldevin sighed. “I wish, I had your faith.”

 

-

 

Haldur was woken by the feeling of warm lips on his forehead. He opened his eyes, caught Valiant’s surprised looks who obviously hadn’t thought this would wake him up and moved his lips up to the alpha’s before he could turn away. “Hm…,” he murmured into their kiss, “I could get used to that.” Valiant relaxed and deepened their kiss before he ended it.

“I am glad that you feel the same way about yesterday evening. I was afraid, I might have used a defenceless moment of yours…”

“No, I’m happy you did.” Haldur sat up and smiled. “I probably had my wits together better than you did. Especially hearing what you said when you were half asleep.”

A confused look appeared on the handsome face.  “What did I say? I cannot remember.”

“Yes, I thought so.” Haldur smiled complacently. “You basically confessed your love for me.”

“Oh… I am so sorry. I really must have been asleep at this point, please do not…”

“But I do.” He lay his hand against Valiant’s chest and looked him in the eye. “I never felt happier, actually. No one’s ever told me I was beautiful before, let alone might have had feelings for me. Hearing it from you, it was… all I could have ever dreamed of?” With a big smile on his face, he looked up to Valiant, who sat down on his bedside as if he had gotten weak in his knees.

“I abducted you and have been holding you prisoner for over a month now! How could you have feelings for me?”

“Maybe I am just an unexperienced omega who falls for the first alpha they come in close contact with.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But I always considered myself to be smarter than that. I came to understand your reasons and you treat me well, apart from that collar. Someone else might’ve chained me to a wall or raped me at first opportunity. You always respected me as equal even though I am an omega and I never heard anyone give me compliments like this. You somehow courted me, you know? Maybe that’s why.”

Valiant still had a startled expression on his face. “Courted you? Well… you might be right. But I do not want to get you in any kind of trouble. Maybe we should end this right here. We both know that we will never be mates. You are a prince and I am not even a commoner, which would be scandal enough, I am a criminal.”

“Loktur is a criminal. Valiant is the noblest man I have ever met.” Haldur sighed. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about his duties as a prince but hearing Valiant share his feelings had made him so happy. At least for a moment. Now, reality set in and dragged him back to the ground. Silence fell between them, disappointment rushed through Haldur once again but he could feel his fists clench. He had always been a stubborn one and he wouldn’t give it up now. “I don’t care what the world thinks you are. In this house, no one can judge us and as long as I am Alden I want to be your Alden. It might just be an affair but it’s still better to live alongside each other and suffer.”

Valiant sighed. “I see that I can do nothing to persuade you to do otherwise and I do not want to anyway.  But you know that we cannot… well, mate properly.”

“I know. I have to keep my virginity for my future husband.” Haldur sighed but he felt relieved. “Well, you better hurry up and find a way to get me back home in the next two month because when I go into heat, we might not have a choice.”

“Right.” Valiant stood up. “Then I better get going. I have an old friend visit today. Can I count on you to make us something small for breakfast?”

“Yes you can.” Haldur got up as well. “But I am still not your maid!” he shouted as he dashed out of the room.

 

-

 

Oldevin was in a meeting with some important members of court, when one of his informants burst through the door. He realized that he had disturbed an important meeting and wanted to leave, mumbling apologies, but Oldevin allowed him to stay with a small gesture of his hand. “Is it urgent?”

“I don’t know, your majesty, I apologize for intruding, that wasn’t my intention. I just thought you wanted to know right away… the man you sent to destroy the markets has returned. He saaid he had delicate information.”

Oldevin found himself tensing up. ”Really?” A sign of his hand made the court members excuse themselves. “Bring him here!” It took only a moment until the man slipped into the room, silent as a shadow. His appearance was the same as on their first meeting. He had destroyed countless market places but there was no fatigue in his movements, no rip in his clothing, no wound on his body, as far as Oldevin could see. “Jackson, I was told you bring news?”

“I do.” The cold, emotionless look in the intense blue eyes still freaked Oldevin out. “I have found out about Loktur’s real identity. The man is called Valiant.”

“That explains why we couldn’t find any traces of him!” Oldevin stood up excitedly. “Loktur is just a name!”

“Give me a few days and I can give you his location.”

“I will reward you, if you manage that.”

“We will talk about money when you have your son back. I also found his last auction place. It’s in the lower town.”

 “That bastard is doing his dirty business right under my nose.” Oldevin felt anger rise in him. “Loktur will pay for everything he’s done, as soon, as I find him.” He remembered the lean man eyeing him with an unreadable expression. “You have done well so far. Now finish what we started. And if you find Loktur himself: kill him. As slow and painful as you can.”

The mercenary gave a short nod, turned around and walked out of the door. Oldevin waited until he had left the room, before he got up and went to find his wife.


	6. Chapter 6

Haldur woke up, with Valiant by his side. He still couldn’t believe what had happened yesterday. They had kissed more than they’d eaten breakfast and Haldur had felt more lonely than ever before because when the ’old friend’ arrived, Valiant had told him to stay away. Of course, Haldur had been tempted to eavesdrop. What did Valiant want to hide from him? But he had decided that he probably didn’t want to know. Fortunately, the friend left not long after and as soon as he had gone, Valiant came up to his room and kissed him deeply and passionately as if he was afraid to lose him.

He snuggled up to the man by his side and happily inhaled his scent, listened to his breath, felt his muscular chest moving. Never in his life had he been as happy as in this particular moment. “Hm…,” a soft, deep purring came out of Valiant’s chest. A hand started stroking Haldur’s hair. “My Alden”

“Good morning”, Haldur smiled. He started to like the way, Valiant called him Alden. It made him feel special. He came even closer and one of his legs accidently touched something hard between Valiant’s legs. A surprised moan escaped the alpha and he was seemingly embarrassed about his condition. “Whatever your business friends might think about you, I can proof that there is nothing wrong with your dick.” Haldur gave Valiant a dirty grin to mask his own arousal.

“Well, you seem to like the idea quite a lot.” Valiant inhaled deeply. “I can smell you, do not try to hide it.”

“Who wouldn’t. If such an attractive alpha was next to them, hard as wood…”

“I wouldn’t.” Valiant grinned. “But I am hard already, so…” He pulled Haldur towards him and caught him in a hungry kiss. The omega moaned, feeling his own member perking up instantly. There were hands all over him exploring his body and he melted under Valiant’s touch. When the fingers reached his genitals, he was already gone. He could feel the wetness between his legs, the smell of slick caused a deep growl in the alpha’s throat that felt like electricity running through Haldur’s body. Their kiss was hungry and passionate but they had to part to catch their breath. Valiant’s face moved to Haldur’s neck, he kissed and licked his scent glands. Haldur didn’t know what to do with all these feelings that were bubbling up from his belly and made him feel like he could burst any minute. “Alpha”, he moaned, “Alpha, please…”

Valiant froze at his words, Haldur grabbed his shirt and held onto it for dear life. Alpha needed to stay close. Alpha couldn’t get away. Good omega. Wants to make alpha happy. “Haldur, please”, he heard from afar, his mind dazed with desire. “Haldur, please stop. We can’t, you know that. I won’t be able to… Haldur…” Why alpha sound so desperate? Omega done something wrong? Bad omega? Valiant freed himself from Haldur’s grip with one final pull and his shirt ripped apart. He fled into the bathroom. Bad omega. Alpha didn’t want him. Alpha ran away… The tears that came to eyes and ran down his cheeks helped to clear Haldur’s head.

What just happened? Why was he so sad, so disappointed with himself? Why did he cry clenching a pillow? It took a moment for his memories to come back and when they did, the sadness was replaced by burning embarrassment. He had gone into omega overdrive, had become a slave to his own instincts. And he wasn’t even close to his next heat. He remembered Valiant who had stormed off. If the alpha had not had the strength to pull away, who knows what would have happened. It was time, he apologized.

Haldur left the room. There was noise coming from the bathroom. Just to be sure, he peaked through the key hole… luckily he did not just walk in. Valiant was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, desperately jerking off… Haldur wanted to look away but he couldn’t. He had never seen such a huge cock in his life. Well, he had only seen his own yet. The idea of that big, long, in an indescribable way sort of beautiful part of Valiant inside him, inside his… Haldur pulled himself away from the door. If the alpha smelled him, it would only make everything worse. But he could still hear the strained panting, the nearly soundless moans and it did something to him. Haldur wanted to be the reason for these sounds. He wanted Valiant to pound into him as fast and strong as he stroked himself, he wanted…

“Oh Alden…”, he heard a whisper coming from the room. “Alden… Alden… Haldur!”

It was a silent cry, as Valiant came but the way he said Haldur’s name, his real name made a shiver run down his spine. His legs lost their strength and he sank down against the wall, shaking from a sensation he had never felt before. What was going on with his body? He buried his face in his hands and waited to everything to be over but the feeling did not go away. Eventually, the door opened and Valiant came out. “Oh, Alden…” The alpha’s voice was worried, not shocked or disgusted as Haldur thought it would be. Strong arms picked him up, lifted him to the muscular chest. The familiar pine wood scent was all around him and it calmed Haldur down faster as he could have hoped. Silently, he began to cry again, leaving wet spots on the ruined shirt. “I’m sorry”, he sobbed. “I’m a bad omega.”

“No! No, I am sorry” Valiants hand stroked his hair, as he took Haldur back to the bed and laid him down. “I was not able to control myself. It is not your fault, you cannot help it. It is me who has to prevent this sort of thing from happening.”

“Why are we like this? Why can’t we just be happy together? I can’t go on like this. My body… it’s doing stuff, I can’t control. I hate not being in control!” He choked, tears and snot running down his face. Valiant saw him like this, he probably looked very ugly right now, the embarrassment didn’t help to calm him down. He hid his face in the pillows. Valiant sat down next to him, lifted him up and embraced him again. Haldur’s face settled on his chest.

“It is not your fault”, he could feel the deep, melodious voice vibrating. “You only recently presented, didn’t you? Your body is not used to all of these hormones, it can be quite overwhelming. Your biology makes you very eager to mate right now. It is my job to keep such situations from happening.”

“I don’t want that. I don’t want you to stop yourself. It hurts. Why can’t we just be together? I want to be your mate, please, Valiant. Be my alpha!”

“Haldur” Valiant cupped his wet face and pulled it upwards so that he had to look into the warm, beautiful brown eyes that looked down in such deep earnestness. “You are not in the right mind. Please, do not tempt me. You know that we can never be together. You are destined to become king and I…”

“Become king!” Haldur spit the words into Valiant’s face. “I will hardly be a Queen! As soon as some old, stinky alpha finally accepts my hand in marriage, I will be me nothing more than a smiley face behind the throne and give birth to the heirs to the throne! After the princess I was betrothed to dropped of the engagement not one alpha considered marrying me! No one thinks I am pretty. I am a disgusting disappointment to my parents! Why can’t I just stay with you?!?”

“I do not think you are pretty either.” Valiant said in his quiet, thoughtful way. “I think you are beautiful. And I am sure there is a reason why your father has not proposed one of the young alpha nobles to you yet. Do not worry, it will all work out. In a few days, you will be home with your parents.”

“What?” Haldur wiped his eyes and looked at Valiant in surprise.

“I told you, I will do my best to get you back as soon as possible. And I have found a way, thanks to my old friend. We just have to wait for things to play themselves out.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. Haldur wanted to say something, but Valiant pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Get dressed now. We have a long day before us.”

 

-

 

“How are you feeling?” Oldevin put a hand on his wife’s stomach. There was nothing to be seen or felt yet but he still loved the idea of a new life growing in there.

“I am fine” Mabel smiled, happy but tired. “I feel a bit sick but that is part of the job. It will be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Hmhm” Someone coughed slightly and Oldevin turns his attention towards the intruder. He didn’t hear anyone come in. The mercenary was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed. “They said, you didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“And they are right. Do you have news?”

“Who is this man?” Oldevin didn’t want to involve his wife because she wouldn’t like it.

“I am ’The Shadow’, the best of my profession. I was looking for your son.”

“You have hired a mercenary to find our son?” Mabel turned towards her husband. Yes, he had guessed she would make that face…

“It was our best option. He destroyed every omega auction place in my kingdom without drawing attention to it, me or himself. He has found out who has our son…”

“And I know where he lives.” The mercenary came closer. “He was very difficult to find. I had to pull a few strings… Valiant lives in the West of the lower town above the butter market.”

“ _Above_ the market?”

“He has a flat there. It is the best possible hiding place.”

“Well… I guess, you are right…” Oldevin sighed. He didn’t know this part very well. It was on the outskirts of the city, a very poor and dirty place. “Go and finish him.”

“My king?” His wife looked at him in disbelief but he was not in the mood to justify himself.

“I already visited him.” The mercenary looked Oldevin right in the eye. For one moment, the king thought he saw something in his look that might have been an emotion. “He gave me a lot of money to not kill him and told me to say that he awaits your delegate. My job is done.”

All tension vanished and Oldevin suddenly felt very tired. This long journey was coming to an end. The criminal had outsmarted him but he didn’t care. Finally, there was hope he could get his son back. “Thank you for your service, Jackson. I will have Filas give you every reward you desire.”

“I said my job is done. I don’t want your money.” The tall man turned on his heels and left as fast and quietly as he had appeared. Oldevin just watched and wondered.

“Dear husband” The voice of his wife demanded his attention. He dreaded whatever would happen next. “You might be my king and I am in no position to judge your decisions…” She gave him the look. He might have been an alpha but if women had the second gender, she would have been one as well. “But as your wife and mother of your son and future child I want you to think about what you just did.” She crossed her arms and that was a sign that she really very cross with him. “You should be grateful that this mercenary is wiser than your decision. I know that you want to be a role model for the future king. Is this the way you want him to handle his problems?”

Oldevin held his breath. He would’ve preferred her to be furious and shout at him but she never did. If she was really angry, she would be quiet and reasonable and he was terrified of these moments. He could feel his inner alpha shrink and crumble. Eventually, he looked away and closed his eyes. Of course, she was right. He was ashamed that he had let his instinctive rage take over. Justifying his decision was useless, they both knew that. “I think, you want to get some rest”, he said quietly, “It’s not good for you or the baby, if you agitate yourself too much. I have to visit someone, please excuse me.” He got up and he didn’t need to look back at his wife to know that she was satisfied. They had been decided for by their parents and when they met for the first time on their wedding day, Oldevin had not been sure about this woman. Today, he didn’t want to miss her. She was always there to have his back and sometimes, when he had lost his way, she would kick him back on the right path. Did his parents know when they chose Mabel of Dartingcourt? Would he ever find someone as fitting for his son? It was too early to think about his old worries again. First, he had to make sure, Haldur was still alive.


	7. Chapter 7

 

There was tension between them that hadn’t been there before. Haldur’s emotional breakdown had changed something in their relationship. Valiant distanced himself more and more and Haldur started to miss him, even though they ate together and slept in the same bed. Seeing him but not being able to get close again was hell. Right now, he could have used an alpha to lean on. The ever present scent of pine wood only made it worse. Of course, he knew why Valiant acted this way. He wanted to make it easier for Haldur to say goodbye but it only made it harder. Haldur wanted to enjoy the last moments with Valiant as close as possible but he also dreaded to get too close again after what happened last time. For the first time, he wished that no one would come to rescue him. He wanted to stay here, with Valiant. Life was so much easier when you were an unimportant omega that baked cookies and let criminals stare at his arse. Did he really have to become king? Doubts filled his mind and he started to brood in his room for most of the day. Valiant didn’t come to look for him, he did his business as usual. Only sometimes, when he thought Haldur wasn’t paying attention, he would look at him with a sad, wanting expression in his eyes.

Someone rang the doorbell which didn’t happen very often. People usually came and went, so whoever approached was not one of Valiant’s regulars. Sometime later, he heard Valiant call. “Oy, sweetheart! We have an important visitor. Would you come down and serve us some tea?” Valiant was using the voice again. He always talked like that when he played the traditional alpha he wanted the others to see. Actually, Haldur had started to like it. It had been some kind of act they put on for his business partners but now it hurt to hear it sound exactly like it used to sound. Well… there was a difference. Valiant usually used his nickname to call him. He had never said ’sweetheart’ before. Never mind. It was time to grin and bear it.

 

-

 

Oldevin wasn’t sure whether he was finally doing the right thing as he rang the doorbell in the darkest corner of the Butter Market. He heard someone come downstairs and open the door. An old, thin, little man opened his mouth in a toothless smile. “Oh, hello. I think you have come to the wrong place. I don’t expect any visitors.” Oldevin examined the figure. The great Loktur was such a frail appearance? He couldn’t believe it. But there was evil in his colourless eyes.

“You might not but Valiant does.” There was probably some code. But the mercenary had said that Loktur was expecting him.

“Well, I don’t know about that. He lives on the first floor.” The old man opened his hand expectantly and Oldevin gave him a copper coin. Another toothless grin flashed and the figure stepped away to let him in. Slowly, Oldevin ascended the wooden stairs. They were old and creeked. Even a deaf person would have heard him coming. The door on the first floor opened before he could knock. A handsome young man flashed a charming smile at him. He was neatly dressed and his beard was perfectly trimmed. That was closer to the idea of Loktur that Oldevin would have had, even though this man was shockingly young.

“I expected you. Come in.” He turned his head. “Oy, sweetheart! We have an important visitor. Would you come down and serve us some tea?”

So he was polite and well-mannered which surprised Oldevin. And he seemed to have a mate which surprised him even more. With the elegant movement of a perfect host, Loktur showed him into a big room that was decorated with much thought for detail and taste. It seemed to be his working space, there was a desk on one side of the room and a cabinet behind which was decorated with… his ceremonial goblets.

“Nice goblets”, he couldn’t stop himself from saying as he sat down on the expensive and very comfortable sofa. The criminal smiled.

“Yes, you would have recognized them. There are the king’s ceremonial goblets.”

“Where did you get them?”

“Well, I did not buy them” Loktur actually seemed to be amused. He looked at the king like he was an old friend of his. Whatever Oldevin had imagined him to be, he wouldn’t have thought him to be such a pleasant, likeable person. And he was definitely mad to admit his crime so openly. “It was more of a joke, really. A friend of mine said, I would not be able to steal them so I did. I was a thief before I got into the trading business.”

Oldevin was confused. “That same night, the crown prince disappeared.”

“Yes, that was a bit unfortunate. The boy has ears like a fox. He heard me breaking in and came to see what was going on. He would have overpowered me, I am sure of that, if it wasn’t for my experience and fast reflexes. I could not leave any witnesses and I did not know that he was the crown prince. Otherwise I might have acted differently.”

“Did you kill him?” Dread rose in Oldevin’s heart.

Loktur raised his eyebrows. “Kill him? What sort of stories have you heard of me? I would never kill a perfectly fine, unmated virgin omega if he came my way. And he was carrying his scent like a tag.”

“So what have you done with him?” His attention was distracted by the door. It opened and a cute, little, well-dressed omega with a tray scurried into the room.

“Hello, don’t mind me, I just made you some tea and cookies, sweetheart.” He said the last word emphatically und his eyes darted towards the criminal. Oldevin smiled. There was something going on between them and the behaviour reminded him of his wife. Loktur seemed to have done something wrong… a surprisingly healthy relationship. The omega poured tea into one of the cups and directed his attention towards Oldevin only to drop the cup in shock. Hot liquid spilled on the king’s shirt and he jumped.

“Father?”

Oldevin looked up in confusion, his eyes widened. “Haldur?” There was his son, standing right in front of him. Why didn’t he recognize him before?

“What are you doing here?”

“What are _you_ doing here?”

“Hmhm” Loktur cleared his throat. “Maybe, we all have a cup of tea and talk this out?” He stood up and took a new cup out of a cupboard, then poured tea. The criminal remained unbelievably calm. Oldevin still couldn’t take his eyes off his son and Haldur seemed to feel the same. They were just staring at each other in disbelief. Oldevin really could not match this person with the idea of his son even though they had the same face. Haldur would never act domestic and be happy about it. He would never wear these clothes that suited him very well but screamed omega at everyone who looked at them. It really was the perfect disguise.

“So…” Loktur gave Oldevin a cup and Haldur a sign to sit down. To his surprise, his son did. “Family reunion. To be honest, I would not have thought you would be so eager to come here in person but all the better. Let me explain.” He sighed and drank his tea. Oldevin sipped as well. It was very good tea.

“As I told you, I had to take the witness with me and thought I had killed two birds with one stone and stolen an expensive omega as well. Your son… well, he fought and caught my attention. As soon as I found out that he was actually the prince, I did my best to make him comfortable.”

Oldevin looked at his son who was just sitting there, seemingly shocked. Slowly, the omega turned his gaze to his father. Haldur had lost weight but he was well looked after, neat and clean. “Is that a collar around his neck?”

“It is a hexed leash, yes. He would have ran away, gotten lost in the lower town and someone else would have snatched him. I know these streets, it is a bad place for an omega wandering alone. Even if he had made it back to the palace, you would have wanted my head, so I had to think of something.”

“So what did you think of?” Oldevin felt his surprise being replaced by anger. This man had taken his son away, kept him locked up and told him arrogantly calm about it! He started to hate his pleasant appearance.

“Well, you are witnessing it right now. I admit, I had planned to do it differently but we all have to flexible, don’t we?”

“Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought he might be dead! Or worse: sold to somewhere horrible!”

“I did get your idea when you started to destroy all my auctioning places.”

“Why didn’t you act sooner?!?” Oldevin could hardly keep himself settled. His alpha wanted to take this man and choke him; to give him a feeling of what he had experienced for the last two months.

“Because I wanted you to destroy all of them. And I did not know you had hired Jackson until he came to me and told me about it.”

How could this man still be so calm! It made Oldevin furious. “I THOUGHT, HE MIGHT BE DEAD!!!”, he screamed, trying to stand up. But strong hand pushed him back into sitting position.

“Father, please.” It was the first time, he heard Haldur contributing to their conversation. “Calm down. I am not dead, I am not sold. I’m here. I’m fine.” The quiet words actually calmed him down. Haldur came a bit closer so that Oldevin was able to wrap his arms around him. The omeganess of his scent had gotten stronger since the king had last seen his son and it helped to calm his furious alpha. Pup alright. Pup safe.

“Alright then” He took a deep breath. “You imprisoned my son and bribed the mercenary I had sent after you. What else?”

“You sent a mercenary to kill him?” Haldur looked honestly shocked but Loktur didn’t seem to mind.

“I did not bribe him. He actually is a childhood friend of mine and he was worried. So he came to me and we planned this together. He destroyed the last of my market places then he fed you the delicate information about my person and this place bit by bit until you sent someone to me. And I wanted to negotiate a solution that enabled Haldur to get home safely and unseen and me to stay alive. So there we are.”

He filled his cup again and drank some more tea.

Oldevin wasn’t sure what he should do. His son sat next to him, the criminal who took his son away opposite… He had no idea what had happened in these last two months but he could feel the tension between the criminal and his son. A very alpha-omega tension. But there was no bite mark on his son’s neck, only a collar. This was not his decision to make. “Haldur” He looked at his son in earnest. “What do you think, I should do?” Haldur seemed to be taken aback by surprise.

“Ahm…” The silence in the room was nearly tangible. Oldevin realized that Loktur was looking at his son as well. “Well…” The omega smiled weakly, as he looked at his father. “It is really good to see you.”, he said quietly. “And I look forward to coming home. How is mother?”

“She, well…” Oldevin didn’t want to discuss family matters in front of this criminal. “She is strong. She never lost faith in you.”

Haldur smiled and nodded slightly. “Yes, I thought so.” He sighed. “Look… it was not easy, being locked up away from home but… Valiant did take care of me, he really did. And it gave me time to come to terms with my second gender… sort of. You know, I hated myself for presenting as an omega. I know you and mother are disappointed and I know that no one wants to marry an alpha-like omega, even if he would get to be king. Valiant…”

“That’s what you think?” Oldevin didn’t want to interrupt his son but the words shocked him. “You think we are disappointed? That no alpha wants to marry you?”

Haldur looked up to him and his big, blue eyes were swimming with tears. “Yes, of course you are. You expected me to be an alpha!”

“Well, that’s true but… I was never disappointed. Surprised, yes. Shocked, maybe. But never disappointed. I never told you but when you were born… I actually wanted you to be called Alden. But they told me that was too soft, too omega for a future king, so we called you Haldur. There might have been a part of me that was happy that you presented as an omega.”

His son had started crying and Oldevin could see the criminal move uncomfortably in his chair. He knew this face, it was the urge to comfort his hurt omega… there was definitely something going on between them and he wasn’t sure if he hated it as much as he knew he should. “But I am not a good omega! What other reason could there be for you to propose none of the alpha nobles to me?”

Right. About that. “I should have talked to you about this. I may have done so, if you had not been taken away.” He sighed and lifted his son’s face to look into his teary eyes. “There were many alphas who proposed themselves to me. Nearly every unmated noble the right age wrote to me. But I turned them all down. They only wanted to mate with you to get the throne. As you said yourself: you have been trained your entire life to become king and I could not find someone more capable to take my place. I was looking for someone who would be at your side as support and adviser. But they all wanted to be king, not the king’s husband.” Oldevin felt awkward to reveal his thoughts like this in front of a stranger but the look on Haldur’s face was worth everything. His eyes widened in disbelief then tears fell again. But this time, there was a smile on his face. Never before had Oldevin seen so many emotions on Haldur in such a short of amount of time. His imprisonment seemed to have really softened him up and made embrace his omega side. In a way, Oldevin was happy for it. This was so much better than the broody, thin-lipped version that had emerged after his son presented. A short glance to Loktur revealed that the criminal seemed to be as surprised as Haldur. He looked back at Oledvin and there was something in his face that might have been admiration. The king felt like he should say something.

“I am sorry, I should have talked to you. I never wanted you to feel bad about yourself. You are beautiful, every sensible alpha can see that.” Again, he looked at Loktur who watched both of them with a thin smile on his face. Something fell against him and Oldevin could only embrace his son to stop them both from falling over. This was something they had never done before. Haldur knew that he had to show respect more than love for his king but his developing omega didn’t seem to care and Oldevin couldn’t stop himself from enjoying it. He felt tears being swallowed by his shirt. Slowly, he started to stroke the warm back of his son and could feel the sobs quieten. It was probably better to not look at Loktur now, it would only challenge the criminal. If he was correct, seeing the omega in the embrace of another alpha was hard enough, even though he was the father.

Eventually, Haldur relaxed and Oldevin distanced them. He awkwardly cleared his throat before he directed his attention towards the other alpha again. “The most pressing matter is to get my son back where he belongs” he said, falling back into his negotiating routine. “If it is money that you are after I will give you as much as you want to get him back.”

“I told you, I intended to get him back home.” Loktur smiled and even if he tried to look neutral, Oldevin thought he had seen a hint of sadness in his eyes. “All I want is for him to be who he is supposed to be and for me to be left alive.”

Oldevin nodded and left the comfortable sofa. “I think, we will work something out. If you are a man of honour as I, surprisingly, think you are, you will be at the castle tomorrow afternoon and we will continue our negotiations.”

“You can count on me” Loktur stood up as well and smiled as he shook the king’s hand. “It has been an honour meeting you, your Majesty.” And he finally bowed as he was supposed to. Haldur got up as well and moved behind his father. His demeanour had changed, he held himself proud as he used to and it was good to see that the old Haldur wasn’t completely gone. Oldevin marched towards the door and left the flat. Haldur hesitated at the door and looked back to the criminal. The king expected his son to say some sort of goodbye but he didn’t. He just turned around and followed without looking back again.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Haldur couldn’t believe it. Sitting in the closed chariot still felt like a dream. He looked out of the window, inhaled the fresh air he had missed for so long… His father smiled. Another thing that Haldur had to wrap his head around was what they had discussed in Valiant’s living room. His father wanted him to be king. Haldur was supposed to be king because his father thought him capable. He would have never thought this possible. His father was a just man but he was strict and distant, always more king than father. They had hugged… the king would have never allowed it but his father seemed to have another, loving side that he hadn’t shown towards Haldur before. There was so much they had to talk about when they got back. And he had to see his mother. And Linden…

“What have you done to Linden?”

“Hm?” His father seemed to have been lost in thought.

“My servant. What have you done to him when you discovered that I was gone?”

“Linden is fine. I have given him some paid time off until you get back. You sent him away, it wasn’t his fault.”

“Thank you” Relieve flooded Haldur’s heart. “I don’t know what I would have done without him.”

“You are quite close, aren’t you?”

Haldur nodded. “He is sort of my best friend. There is no one who knows me better. He helped a lot after I presented.”

“Yes, he seems like a fine man. He will be back at your side as soon as we arrive.”

“Hm…” The thought of it brought a smile to his face. Haldur really looked forward to coming back home.

 

He couldn’t wait to get out of the chariot. Even before it had stopped, he opened the door and jumped out. As fast as he could, he ran towards his mother’s chambers and knocked. “Come in”, he heard her voice, dashed through the door and embraced her. He liked the hugging and he decided to do it more often.

“I’m back!” he cried, “It’s so good to see you! How are you?”

His mother seemed to be as surprised as his father about the sudden, close contact. “Haldur…”, she softly whispered, “It’s so good to see you. What happened?”

He finally let her go and sat down on one of the chairs. “Loktur took me because I caught him stealing the goblets. But he has actually been very nice and took care of me until he could get me back safely. I missed you so much!”

“Yes, I thought, I smelled an alpha on you.” His mother smiled. She seemed to be unusually tired. “You look well and these clothes really suit you.”

“Njah… I will get into my old stuff soon. I am a future king not some omega servant.” But the compliment made him very happy. Still, his mother looked weak. Was this because of his absence? She must have worried, even more than his father. “I am sorry that I was away for so long, you must’ve been worried.”

“Of course I was. But I knew you would come back.” She gagged.

“Are you alright?” Haldur was really worried now.

“Yes, I am. I am just a bit sick.” She smiled and their was some of her sly charm in it. “Father hasn’t told you yet? Then I will. You will have a little sibling soon.”

“You are…” Haldur felt a flash of happiness rush through him. “I am going to be a brother!” Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t have stopped himself from smiling and, as no one else was watching, he allowed himself to do a happy little dance.

His mother chuckled. “I really like the Omega-Haldur. There seems to be something good in everything bad.”

“Yes…” He stopped, suddenly embarrassed. “It was not that bad, actually. I had time to live differently and figure myself out.” He hesitated before he spoke again. “I’m thinking about changing my name to Alden.”

“Really? You always hated your father calling you that.”

“Yes. Because I hated being an omega but I have come to terms with it. I am what I am and being an omega king will not be easy but I will try my best.”

“That’s my son” His mother smiled and got up to stroke his cheek. “You will be a great king. You just have to watch your father and learn. It will be all easier when you have someone on your side who supports you.”

“Yes…” Haldur heard a nervous laugh escape him. “I have talked to father. He said that might not be so easy.”

His mother smiled. “I am sure, he will work something out. He managed to bring you back, didn’t he?”

“That was more Valiant’s doing…” Haldur smiled at the thought at how cleverly Valiant had solved their problem. He prayed that the meeting tomorrow would go well but he had faith in Valiant’s negotiation strategies. There was so much he had learned from this man…

“Valiant? I can’t remember you using that name before. Is there someone I need to know about?” Her amused smile said what she left unspoken.

Haldur grinned. “Well… you may know him as Loktur, head of the omega trade circle. He was the one who took me away. I was imprisoned at his house for these two months. But it was not as bad as it sounds. He is actually very nice.”

“Oh…” The sly look came back into her eyes. “Is he really that nice or is it just because he’s an alpha? Do you like being around dangerous men?”

Haldur laughed. He enjoyed talking about men with his mother. That was something they could share. “He is an alpha but he is nice. I know… being the head of the omega trade circle sounds bad. It sounds very bad actually… but he explained it all to me and his motives were as honourable as they could be. That sounds weird. We are talking about trade with humans… But he was very nice and gave me everything I needed. It helped me to figure out my second gender.”

“So we have to thank him for one thing, at least. You look so much happier than before you were taken.”

“That’s probably because I am so happy to be back. Give me a few days and…” And everything would be back to normal? Would things ever be normal again? Everything had stopped being normal when he presented. He had to find a new normal now but was it worth the effort if he would be married to someone soon? Staying with Valiant had been so easy. Everyday had had something new and exciting; he always knew what he had to do. There were so many possibilities now, so many thing he could do, so many things he had to… and quite a few things he had enjoyed at Valiant’s place would not be appropriate anymore. The short time with Valiant that had taught him so many things was over and tomorrow he would see the alpha for the very last time. Sadness filled his heart and made his eyes wet. “I am sorry”, he said trying to keep it together. “Please excuse me” He stormed out of the door before he started to cry.

 

“Thank you, Linden” Haldur fell back in his familiarly soft pillows and squeezed the hand of his servant that he was holding. “It is so good to be back, so good to see you again.”

“I have missed you, Sire” The beta confessed. “It was weird to have so much free time. I looked forward to seeing you again.”

“So did I.” Haldur smiled.  “Did you at least use your free time wisely?”

Linden gave him a lopsided smirk. “I proposed to Fedora and we are engaged now. We planned to marry as soon as you are back!”

“Well done! Congratulations! I would be honoured to be a guest at your wedding.”

“So would I, Sire. We will start arranging everything now.”

“Keep me up to date. I want to know everything.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

Haldur smiled at his best friend. It was so good to see him happy with someone he really loved. He himself… well, one did not have to marry for love to be happy. His parents were a good example. “Good night, Linden. Go home and tell Fedora I congratulate her to have someone so wonderful betrothed to her.”

“Are you sure, it is a good idea to leave you, Sire?”

“Yes I do. What do you think will happen? Do you think I will be taken away?” He laughed but Linden’s smile was weak. “Well then. If you want to stay close: do. It’s up to you. Things don’t happen twice in a row.”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to stay close. Just for a few days. It was a great shock to lose you. To all of us.”

“No, I don’t mind. Thank you Linden.” He watched his servant blow out the candles and heard him leave the room. Then he was alone in the dark.

Silence.

All he could hear was his own breath.

All he could smell was his own scent and dust.

He had never felt so alone in his life.

He had known that he would miss Valiant but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon and so very painful. There was no warm body next to him, no quiet, relaxed breathing because Valiant had had a long day and had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow. There was only him back in his own room drowning in loneliness. For one moment, he was tempted to call for Linden and ask him to sleep next to him but he wasn’t that desperate yet. His pride wouldn’t allow it. Haldur closed his eyes and Valiant’s face popped up instantly, with these dark brown eyes that had the same colour as his hair that framed his face with a few long streaks in the front, the thick, curved eyebrows that could be adorably lifted in disbelief, the straight, narrow nose, the soft, mild smile on his lips, the neatly trimmed beard… Haldur was sure that he would never forget this face again. And tomorrow he would see it for the last time. A small sob escaped his lips and he held his breath hoping that Linden didn’t hear it. It would get better with time, he would get used to sleeping alone again. Haldur had to believe it.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya!
> 
> Sorry for taking so long with the last chapter.  
> I was on holiday and had no computer with me. ^^  
> Well then, have fun with the last one. I hope you like it.  
> Thanks for the comments and kudos I got. There might be a sequel if I decide on writing it. :)
> 
> Read you soon,  
> Mendelynn

“Loktur, so you did come.”

“Your Majesties…” Valiant bowed before the royal family. He had met Haldur’s father already, a wise and strict but surprisingly caring man. The Queen, a slender woman with a shock of flaming red locks, was sitting on the throne next to him. He looked at Valiant with what seemed more interest than disgust. Haldur was standing behind his father’s throne and he didn’t look well. From his looks, he had gotten as little sleep as Valiant himself. He had missed the little omega terribly and every particle in his body screamed to just run towards Haldur, embrace him and never let go. But he didn’t. There were things at stake that were nearly as important. His life. “I would prefer it if you used my real name. I am here as a person, not as a criminal institution.”

“But you did take Haldur in your role as a criminal.”

“That is an interesting question that could be discussed some time else.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you stand before me as the head of a criminal organisation that has been forbidden for more than a hundred years now. I could have you executed for just that.”

“Making something illegal does not stop it from happening, it only makes it more difficult to control. If you had talked to Haldur, he would have told you about my motivation and my personal opinion on these matters.”

“Indeed.” The kind nodded slightly and his eyes seemed to slowly drill trough Valiant’s chest. “So what will you do, now that the omega trade is destroyed?”

“It is my chance to start anew. I am not sure what I will do. As I seem to be quite good with financials, I might stay in the trade business. Linnen maybe… or sugar. I could imagine myself selling pottery. Something more legal.”

“You know a lot of criminals and have lots of underground connections. What will become of them?”

“There is something called ’honour amongst thieves’. I will not rat them out. Having underground contacts can be very handy in a lot of situations but I swore myself not to get into crime again. This is my first chance in life to get out of it and I will use it.”

“Will no one come after you?”

“They might. But as I said, underground contacts are very useful. You have met Jackson. He will not let anything happen to me.”

“What guarantees that you won’t come after me or my family?”

“I might be a thief and criminal but I am still a subject of yours and a loyal servant to my king. As Haldur has told you, I have done my best to do good in the position I was in. Breaking into your castle was a mistake, it was stupid and immature and I apologize for everything that happened. If I can repay you for all your troubles in any way, please tell me and I see what I can do.”

“You have spent quite some time imprisoning my son. How do I know, you won’t do so again?”

“I have gotten to know Haldur and I can see what a great king he will become. I will be happy to serve him in any way possible and I would never allow any harm to come to him again that is caused by me.”

“How can I know that you speak the truth?”

“You cannot. But I want to let my actions speak for me.” Now was a good time to get down on one knee and bow properly and so he did. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat. It was not that he was afraid that they could try to kill him, he was prepared. It wasn’t because he was talking to the king. He had done that yesterday and it had been fine. No, he was nervous because it was Haldur’s parents he was talking to and he wanted to leave a good impression, even though he would never see the omega again. There was a long moment of silence. Valiant did not dare to lift his head again.

“Valiant, look at me.” He did as he was told. “Do you know why I have my Queen with me today?” Valiant shook his head. “She is a much better judge of character than I am. My Queen, what do you think of this man?”

The red-haired woman sat up. She had an air around her that demanded respect, very much like her son. Valiant swallowed hard. He knew, he had won the king over already but he couldn’t read the Queen at all. “I am impressed”, she said. “In a positive way, much to my surprise. I would normally never forgive a man who mistreated my son and used violence against him. But we are all victims of our circumstances and I can see that you carry great potential and wisdom in your heart, but most importantly: honour. You honour your king, your friends even though they are criminals. You have honoured my son despite his second gender that some people look down upon. I say: as long as a man carries honour in his heart, he has the power to be a good man.”

Valiant looked at the Queen in awe. These were wise words and he had the feeling that she could see into his deepest insides. He understood why the king valued his wife’s opinion so much.

“Haldur” The king looked at his son who stared at Valiant nearly without blinking. There was the same longing in his eyes that Valiant felt in his heart. “My son!”

“Hm?”Haldur turned his head.

“You have spent two months imprisoned by this man. What do you have to say?”

“It was a series of unfortunate events that led to this, so the only thing Valiant is to blame for, is his decision to steal the goblets. This is against the law and you knew that before you planned to do it. My imprisonment was an impairment of my right to roam around freely and kept me from performing my duties as the crown prince. Nevertheless, it helped me to figure myself out and accept my second gender which is a lesson I needed to learn before I can become king one day. Under all circumstances, Valiant took care of me of his own accord and helped me to solve the situation because he knew, he had done something wrong. I say: the breaking of rules should never go without consequences but knowing to have done wrong and trying to make it right should be regarded as well.”

Valiant’s mouth had fallen open in surprise and he closed it as soon as he realized it. He didn’t know what he had expected. Maybe, he had thought that Haldur was tired and distracted and hadn’t paid attention. Maybe, he wouldn’t have thought that Haldur was so clever and sophisticated. He hadn’t seen this side of him before. The king was right, his son had been trained well and he would be a great king one day.

“As I am the king, it is my duty to decide about your fate. I have watched you, yesterday and today, but I wanted to hear the opinion of people I trust before I decide. Valiant, you have been one of the most influential criminals in my kingdom and I hadn’t even heard of you before my son was kidnapped. There are many crimes that you are guilty of and I have to take that into consideration. You broke into the castle and stole two precious objects with a very unsatisfying intention. Further, you took something inestimably more precious from me that caused me to worry and therefore affected the practice of my responsibilities. The consequences of your wrong doing cannot be assessed. Therefore, I expropriate you of all your possessions, including my ceremonial goblets.”

Valiant nodded slowly. There had to be some sort of consequence for him and, even if starting anew without money would be more difficult, this was a just decision.

“But!” Oldevin directed all attention towards himself again. “You did give back what is most precious to me. You took care of my son and even helped him on his way to become king. I have seen that you are an honourable man with a righteous heart. From what I have witnessed, you are skilled in negotiations and have important connections and insight that could prove useful. Therefore, I will honour you with a knighthood.” Valiant was confused. A knighthood was one of the greatest honours, more than he could have ever dreamed of. This sounded like the king had something in mind for him… he didn’t want to get his hopes up but…

“Finally, there is a third point that might be important to assess. You have spent two months in close relationship with my son. When I visited you, I sensed some sort of connection between you two and I saw how deeply you care about him.” He leaned on his armrest towards the Queen. “Mabel, dear. What do you think of him as our son-in-law?”

She gave him a sly smile. “Can you find someone better?”

“I don’t know,” the king replied. “Haldur, what do you think?”

The prince was looking from one parent to the other, obviously confused. “Well… yes?”

“You think, I can find someone better?”

“No! No, I don’t think you could ever find anyone better!” He rubbed his eyes. “Is this real? Am I still asleep?”

Oldevin laughed quietly. “Well, you do look tired but I am quite sure, you are awake.”

Valiant had no idea what was going on. He still knelt in front of the thrones and was at least as confused as Haldur. The king rose from his throne, his long mantle following him and pulled a huge sword from his belt. He positioned himself behind Valiant. “Do you, Valiant, swear to serve your king loyally from now on in every moment of your life?”

Was that actually happening? Valiant hesitated for a moment. “Ah… of course. Yes. I swear.” He felt the sword sinking down on his shoulders, first right, then left… “Arise, Sir Valiant of Albion!” Valiant stood up, his knees hurting from the long time in this rather uncomfortable position. He turned around in disbelief. Everyone was staring at him, as confused as he was, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. He turned again and looked into the smiling faces of the King and his Queen. Oldevin took Valiant’s hand into his and looked him in the eye. “Do you want to marry my son? Be the husband he deserves at his side when he becomes king?”

If there ever was a question that Valiant was able to answer without hesitation, it was this one. They had only been apart for one day and  weren’t even mated but Valiant had missed the omega horribly. “Yes. There is nothing more desirable.”

Oldevin turned around to his son who seemed to be frozen were he stood. “Congratulations Haldur, you have been betrothed. I told you, I just wanted to find the right alpha for you.”

The omega still stood there, eyes wide, mouth open. “What?”

Valiant could feel a push on his back and he stumbled towards Haldur. “You explain it to him”, the king demanded. He turned to the court members and servants who had come to witness. “I can now announce the prince’s engagement to Sir Valiant of Albion!”

Finally, the people seemed to come to life. “God save the King!” was heard chanting, Valiant stepped closer to Haldur so that he could lay his hand on the soft, round shoulder. He would have rather embraced and kissed the omega right where they stood but he gritted his teeth. That would be inappropriate. “Looks like your father had plans for us”, he said quietly. Haldur looked at him with his big blue eyes. It was the look that had disappointed Valiant so much on their first evening. Now, it was the most beautiful thing he could think of. “Are you ready to be my mate?”

A broad grin came to the adorable face. “Yes, hell yes. As ready as I’ll ever be.” He took Valiant’s hand into his own and turned to the people. He smiled proudly as he raised their hands and Valiant could hear their cheers. This was start of something new, something better than he could have ever hoped for. The start of a new version of himself, the first day of Valtiant, the honourable and righteous knight that the king saw and Haldur deserved.


End file.
